


just like when we learn to speak (small words do just fine)

by emilia_kaisa



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Communication Failure, Complicated Relationships, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Getting Together, Humor, Light Angst, Matteo The Matchmaker, Misunderstandings, Not Beta Read, POV Third Person, did u know that I love Matteo with all my heart, well now u do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-08-20 05:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20222950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilia_kaisa/pseuds/emilia_kaisa
Summary: "Are you and Javi-" he started slowly "Good friends?""Uhh, yeah?" Matteo blinked, confused "Why-""You, um, text?" Yuzuru proceeded with questions and Matteo felt even more confused."Well, not everyday, but-" Matteo trailed off, not really sure what to say "Is this... important?"Yuzuru looked up, chewing on his bottom lip before taking a deep breath."Could you, next time, maybe, umm, tell him-" he stammered, closing his eyes "- tell him that I miss him?"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Matteo is the cutest bean so here comes this fic, I hope you enjoy!  
Title stolen from Debbie Harry and her 'Maybe for sure'

It was so cool.

Matteo glided around the rink slowly, marveling in the crisp sound of ice under his blades, at how clean and bright everything around him was, smooth and just  _ nice _ . It was quite unbelievable that he was there, too, in the place he had heard so much about. He had seen pictures and heard stories, and now he could train with people that had helped Javi in finding his way to the top. Matteo knew that it was his chance to work hard, to learn as much as possible, and get ready to fight with the rest of the field for his own place among the frontrunners. After worlds, he had said in an interview that he had hopes to get a medal next season, and he had every intention to make that dream possible.

He shook his head a little, clearing his thoughts. Dreams were nice, but he had to focus.

But first, one more fun thing.

"Hey Jason?" he smiled at the American skater who was passing him, stroking across the ice slowly "Could you maybe take a pic for me?"

"Sure!" Jason exclaimed happily and Matteo handed him a phone, making a mental note to put hit aside later, the last thing he wanted was to damage his brand new phone first thing after coming to Toronto.

"Any special wishes?" Jason asked and Matteo grinned before skating a few metres away and stopped under the Spanish flag.

"Now good." he said, bringing on his best smile and Jason laughed shortly before snapping a few pics.

"Okay, here you go." he announced, skating over to Matteo and handing him the phone back "Sending it to Javi?"

"Yeah." Matteo nodded, quickly forming the message and attaching the picture "He told me so much about this place, I just want to let him know how much I like it in here."

"Aww, that's sweet! You guys are good friends, huh?"

"I've known him since I was... nine? Something like that." Matteo chuckled as they both skated to the edge, so Matteo could put down his phone and Jason get rid of his jacket.

"That's cute!" Jason cooed and then sighed "It's such a shame I didn't get to train with Javi that much, only a few weeks, oh hi Yuzu!"

Matteo blinked and raised his head, and saw that there was indeed Yuzuru standing in front of them, wearing his skates and looking at them intently.

"Hello." Matteo smiled politely, and got a bit reserved smile in return.

Luckily, Matteo wasn't easily intimidated, and it wasn't like they had never met before- they had skated in the same group at last world championships, in the end, and if Matteo wanted to compete with the guy, he couldn't let allow himself to feel scared or anything.

"Hi." Yuzuru said, looking over Matteo's shoulder before meeting his gaze "I saw, before- picture with a Spanish flag?"

Matteo opened his mouth to answer, but Jason was faster, happy and cheerful as always.

"It's for Javi!" he exclaimed, clasping his hand on Matteo's shoulder "So nice, right? Maybe he'll start missing us and will come to visit." he laughed shortly and Matteo smiled as well, but Yuzuru didn't join them, something weird flashing through his expression, but it was gone in a second. He opened his mouth a little, as if he wanted to say something, but then Brian emerged from his office and they all turned their attention to him, ready to get to work and putting everything else aside.

It wasn't until some time later, when the session ended and they were slowly making their way to the locker room, when Yuzuru cleared his throat and glanced at Matteo, clearly thinking about something intensively.

"You like Toronto?" he asked suddenly when they stepped inside the locker room, and Matteo shrugged.

"Still didn't see much, I just got here."

Yuzuru clicked his tongue, tilting his head a little before speaking again.

"Would you like to go? Coffee or something?"

Matteo blinked, confused. It didn't quite match any of his previous observations, nor anything Javi had mentioned. Where was the distance, there was supposed to dist-

"Sure." Matteo smiled, like a polite boy he was "Would be cool."

"Great." Yuzuru nodded firmly "Uh, twenty minutes?"

"I'll see you outside."

Yuzuru nodded and then gathered his stuff quickly before heading towards the showers, and Matteo caught Jason's surprised gaze.

"What?" Matteo asked curiously and Jason shrugged.

"Just- he doesn't do hanging out. I'm quite shocked."

"Yeah, so I've heard." Matteo hummed "Let's see what it's all about."

Well, so far it was just awkward.

For someone who had proposed all the hanging out, Yuzuru was awfully quiet, and Matteo was feeling slightly uncomfortable. Still, his mama had raised him well, so he was trying his best to hold the conversation, which turned into him basically babbling about how excited he was about Toronto and all the new experiences. Yuzuru kept on nodding, sometimes saying something absently, and by the time they reached a coffee shop he was mentally exhausted. At least when they sat down with their beverages he had an excuse to stop talking and focus on his ice coffee; his plan was to drink it and then find an excuse to escape the awkwardness, but then Yuzuru finally spoke out.

"Are you and Javi-" he started slowly "Good friends?"

"Uhh, yeah?" Matteo blinked, confused "Why-"

"You, um, text?" Yuzuru proceeded with questions and Matteo felt even more confused.

"Well, not everyday, but-" Matteo trailed off, not really sure what to say "Is this... important?"

Yuzuru looked up, chewing on his bottom lip before taking a deep breath.

"Could you, next time, maybe, umm, tell him-" he stammered, closing his eyes "- tell him that I miss him?"

At first Matteo was pretty sure that he had misunderstood, but when Yuzuru looked at him he realized that it was not an option.

Now,  _ that _ was awkward.

"Can't you tell him by yourself?" he asked carefully and Yuzuru looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"No."

"Why?"

"I can't?"

"You don't have his number? I can give-"

"I do!" Yuzuru exclaimed, a bit louder, and Matteo flinched a little. Yuzuru collected himself quickly, looking mildly embarrassed, and looked down at his hands folded around his cup.

"We- we don't text. Very rare."

"Yeah, I-" Matteo bit his tongue before he would say something he shouldn't "Well, I think that kind of stuff you should tell him yourself."

Yuzuru looked at him darkly for a moment, but then he sighed deeply, his shoulders dropping, and for a moment they were quiet, but Matteo dropped his escape plans, too intrigued about what was going on.

Well, he had some tiny idea what was going on, but he kept that to himself too.

"I want to be his friend too." Yuzuru said quietly and okay, that definitely wasn't a confession Matteo had been expecting.

"But, you are?" he tried and Yuzuru shook his head fiercely.

"No, no. Not like you, or-" he waved, and scrunched his nose "I can't explain."

"Hm." Matteo wondered, and he really wanted to bring that conversation to an end "You know, I- I know that you're very important to Javi, so-"

"He say that?" Yuzuru asked, suddenly brightening up with what Matteo recognized as hope.

"Well, I mean, obviously?" Matteo stammered, thinking about escape again "But, uh, this is something you need to talk about with him, not me."

Yuzuru hummed quietly, and suddenly his expression softened.

"I still can talk with you about him, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Matteo smiled, happy that they were apparently drifting away from the dangerous topic "That I can do."

* * *

When he stepped into TCC the next day, he was almost immediately surrounded by Jason, Evgenia and Jun, who were staring at him expectantly.

"Uhh, hi?" Matteo started a bit nervously "What's-"

"Hi, Jason told us you and Yuzuru hang out yesterday." Zhenya announced without hesitation and Matteo glanced at Jason, who gave him an apologetic smile.

"Well, yes." Matteo shrugged "It was nice-"

"Cool, cool, happy for you, but we kinda want details." Zhenya said without an ounce of shame and Jun nodded eagerly.

"Yes, details!"

"Guys, that was a private conversation, you know, it's-" Jason tried, but Zhenya smacked his shoulder, and Matteo suppressed a sigh.

"We just talked?"

They all stared at him for a moment and then Jun facepalmed, sighing.

"Of course!"

"Of course what?" Zhenya asked and Jun made a face at him.

"They probably talked about Javi."

"Oh. Oh of course."

"I'm confused." Matteo admitted and Zhenya sighed.

"He's been harassing all of us basically since Javi retired. You know, I personally don't mind, because Javi is such a sweetheart and I miss him too, but he made Jun and Brian cry at least three times-"

"Four." Jun deadpanned "Or five. And I think I heard him-"

"Uh, guys, this is too much information for me." Matteo laughed awkwardly. Seriously, the last thing he wanted was to get into a middle of some drama, that really wasn't any of his business, despite his sympathy for everyone.

"That's what I keep telling them!" Jason stressed out, grabbing the collar of Jun and Zhenya's shirts and starting to drag them away "See you on the ice, Matteo!"

Matteo shook his head, still a bit overwhelmed, but he collected himself quickly. Sure, a day earlier he had spent almost three hours on listening to Yuzuru singing praises about Javi, but he didn't feel authorized to share any details about that conversation.

* * *

"It was just- so big surprise?" Yuzuru stressed out and Matteo nodded politely, taking a sip of his lemonade. It was good, with pomegranate and lemon, while Yuzuru had some weird combination Matteo didn't even try to remember. Still, he had better things to do, like listening to Yuzuru and smiling with sympathy.

It turned out that Jun had been right, and all Yuzuru wanted to do was to talk about Javi. Which was okay, since Matteo could relate to all the respect and warm feelings, but maybe... not to the extent Yuzuru was showing.

"He was, just, so nice? Too nice, I thought. I didn't know what to do." Yuzuru continued and Matteo smiled widely.

"Yeah! i remember that when we met I was such a kid, comparing to him, but he still didn't mind hanging out with me. I became fan instantly." he chuckled and Yuzuru narrowed his eyes at him, apparently thinking about something intently.

"What?" Matteo asked, still not intimidated, and Yuzuru hummed, and Matteo couldn't read his expression.

"You know him longer." Yuzuru said with something like regret and Matteo blinked quickly, surprised and not sure how to react.

"I guess-"

For some reason Yuzuru looked upset and it took Matteo a few moments to get a grasp of what was really going on.

"If you want to talk to him, you should."

"I want, but I shouldn't."

"Why is that?" Matteo asked and Yuzuru just pressed his lips in a tight line, and Matteo thought that he was done with men older than him believing that they had to suffer for some greater reason, while the solution was always within their reach.

* * *

"Javi." Matteo said to the phone three days later "Javi, you need to save me."

"What's going on? Are you okay? What happened?" Javi asked quickly and Matteo felt kind of guilty for worrying him like that.

"I need you to talk to Yuzuru." he said and Javi made a surprised sound.

"What, why? Is he being an ass? You just gotta igno-"

"No, no, he's nice." Matteo said quickly "Actually, he's, uh-"

"Yeah?"

"Listen, I spent last days on talking with him about you, and it's nice, really, but I just- you need to talk, guys."

Javi was silent for a moment, and Matteo almost regretted butting in like that, but then his friend sighed.

"We're not actually good at that."

"I figured." Matteo muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose "I'm just trying to, you know, help out?"

"I appreciate it, Matteo, but... well, thank you. I will... think about it. Yeah, I will."

He didn't sound convincing, and Matteo decided to take one more, kind of desperate move.

"He misses you a lot. Like- really a lot. I talked with him for a while and-"

"And?" Javi echoed, his voice a bit weird, and Matteo sighed.

"You remember that first girl I was going out with, and all the teenage drama?"

"Well, yeah-?"

"You told me that I needed closure. And, I don't want to meddle, but I think you guys might need one too. Or something like that." Matteo mumbled, suddenly feeling really stupid and kind of inappropriate, for commenting their lives like that.

Luckily, Javi didn't seem offended or anything, he just sighed quietly.

"Thanks, Matteo." he said softly, and then cleared his throat, going back to his usual sunny self "So, how is it going? You're getting that sal under control?"

A classic topic change, but Matteo went with gladly, respecting that Javi didn't want to talk about it. And it was always nice, to talk about skating with him.

"Man, you know I love your skating, but the love for sal I still can't understand.'

"Well, no one is perfect." Javi chuckled, and then yawned shortly "Okay, I gotta- I'll see you on Europeans, probably, so you better be ready to take my crown, huh?"

"I'm so ready."

"Great." Javi chuckled again, warmer "Thank you for calling, brother. Good luck."

Well, that was about everything Matteo could do.

* * *

Matteo didn't really think about all of that for the best part of the next few days, focused on his tasks. Yuzuru was pretty quiet too, brow furrowed as if he was concentrated on something, and Matteo didn't think he should interrupt whatever was going on inside his head.

It wasn't until a Friday afternoon, when Matteo was zipping his bag, ready to go, and suddenly there was a loud ringtone filling the rather empty room. He looked around and saw Yuzuru fiddling with his phone, and the moment he looked at the screen, his expression changing in a blink of an eye, his mouth falling open. He swallowed visibly, still not answering, and he glanced at Matteo, his gaze a little bit wild.

"See you on Monday!" Matteo basically yelled and then rushed out of the room, hearing how Yuzuru took a deep, sharp breath, and then the door closed and he didn't hear anything anymore. He wondered what to do, to wander around the club a bit and maybe get a clue of what was going on, or maybe go back to his place and start thinking about the weekend. But then the dilemma was solved by Brian, who approached him with a gentle smile and started asking about how Matteo was enjoying his stay and if he had any doubts or questions. He was nice as always, and Matteo actually engaged in a conversation with him, clearing some things he hadn't been sure about. Brian was just in a middle of talking about their schedule for the next week when suddenly there was a loud sound of door hitting the door frame and a second later Yuzuru passed them by, basically running towards the exit, and Brian gasped, surprised.

"Uh, what's that about?" he asked, glancing at Matteo, and Matteo shrugged, but deep inside he felt his insides twisting with worry.

"I will-" he gestured towards the door and Brian nodded.

"I'll see you soon, Matteo."

Matteo smiled politely and then followed Yuzuru rather quickly, already silently forming a polite question if everything was okay, if he would only manage to catch Yuzuru outside.

He didn't have to look for long, because Yuzuru was sitting on one of the benches in front of the club, resting his elbows on his knees and hiding his face in his hands. Matteo hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching him, standing close.

"Hey." he started, a bit unsure "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Yuzuru mumbled, sitting straight up and looking at Matteo, and suddenly his face crumbled "No."

And when he started crying, Matteo was too stunned to do anything, except to pat his shoulder awkwardly and wondering what the bloody hell just happened.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure about it at all but I hope you will still enjoy it?

Matteo kept on patting Yuzuru's back awkwardly, looking around if there was no witnesses of double olympic champion having a total breakdown. He briefly thought about trying to get him back inside the building, or getting someone, but he decided against it. He stopped the comforting for a moment to take his backpack off and he quickly found a pack of tissues; he handed it to Yuzuru, who luckily sobbing, but was now only letting a quiet whimper from time to time, trying to dry his tears with Matteo's tissues. 

He looked miserable, and Matteo opened his mouth to ask if everything was okay, but he reconsidered. First, it was a stupid question with an obvious answer, and second, he felt like he should take Yuzuru out of the public sight, he could only imagine what could happen if someone took a picture right now. 

"Do you want to go back inside?" he asked softly and Yuzuru shook his head, blowing his nose loudly "Okay, do you want me to wait with you, or go with you h-" 

"Can I go with you?" 

Matteo blinked rapidly, surprised, and Yuzuru just stared at him with his still wet eyes. 

"Like… my place?" 

Yuzuru nodded fiercely and Matteo swallowed hard, but smiled brightly. 

"Sure! It's not too far, only twenty minutes by bus." 

Yuzuru nodded again and stood up, grabbing his bag and giving Matteo a weak, wet smile. 

"Show me the way." 

Forty minutes later they were sitting in the small living room of Matteo's airbnb. They both had cups with tea, since Matteo was a great host. They didn’t exchange a word since they had left the club, except of asking about sugar. Yuzuru looked more collected now, but his lips still quivered from time to time, and his grip on his cup was so strong his knuckles went white. 

Surprisingly, the silence was less awkward than before, even though Matteo still felt a bit uncomfortable. There was no doubt in his mind that Javi had called back in the club, and Matteo couldn't help but worry. Had he messed something up, maybe there was too much meddling in the end-

"Thank you." Yuzuru said suddenly and Matteo flinched, looking at him and smiling slightly. 

"Sure, not a problem. Is your tea okay?" 

"It's very good, thank you." Yuzuru nodded, giving him the palest of smiles "And… I'm sorry. For before." 

"No, no, it's okay!" Matteo said quickly "I just- I hope you're feeling better now." 

A corner of Yuzuru's mouth twitched and he looked down, his shoulders moving as he sighed deeply. 

"I'm fine." 

Matteo just nodded slowly, not really convinced, but he didn't press, somehow knowing that Yuzuru would tell him more. 

He was right, because maybe two minutes of later Yuzuru took a deliberately long sip and put the cup down, looking at Matteo again. 

"Javi called."

"I thought so." Matteo said gently "You talked?" 

"I-" Yuzuru shook his head "We did. Almost wish we didn't." 

"Why?" Matteo risked asking and Yuzuru shook his head again, his gaze darting to the window; he looked sad, and serious, and it was as if the first time Matteo realized that Yuzuru was five years older than him. 

"It felt like I couldn't understand him, almost. We're so bad at this, I-" Yuzuru chuckled quietly, humorlessly "I understood one word, though. I understood it, because I looked it up so many times."

"What word?" Matteo risked asking, and Yuzuru looked at him with a small, bitter smile. 

"Closure."

Matteo gaped, his stomach tying into a tight knit, and he felt really, really bad, but before he could do or say anything, Yuzuru stood up rapidly, his expression set. 

"Thank you for tea, Matteo." he said quietly "I'll see you on Monday."

"Sure." Matteo said slowly, his throat feeling a bit dry "Take care."

Yuzuru smiled at him briefly and then left, and suddenly Matteo was alone with all of his confused thoughts. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, trying not to panic that it was somehow his fault. It wasn't, right? They were two grown ass men who should be able to solve their issues without him. 

Matteo had been wondering, some years before. It was a tricky thing, two main competitors training together, but Matteo always thought that it had to work because of Javi's utter, honest kindness. It was always like that, and Matteo was watching with eyes full of wonder how Javi's skating developed, but he still remained the same, warm and strong, and all the reasons Matteo admired him so much for. 

But Matteo wasn't a kid anymore, and he could see more and more with every year, every next meeting. He never tried to get into assumptions, but now he felt like he was right in the middle of things, and he just couldn't help it. It seemed so painfully clear that both Yuzuru and Javi were caught up in feelings they weren't sure how to deal with it, and Matteo just hoped that they would be able to do that without hurting each other too much. 

Wasn't it too late for that, though? 

* * *

Matteo managed to have pretty calm rest of the weekend, occupying himself sightseeing and skyping with his dad to talk about the progress he was making. He was still curious and a bit worried, sure, but he did all he could not to let that distract him. 

But the distraction came, of course, at 9pm on Sunday, when he was slowly thinking about going to sleep so he would be well-rested before next week of intense training. He was just about to move from the sofa when his phone dinged, and he scrunched his nose, confused, and then he gasped when he saw Javi's name on the screen. 

_Hey, could you tell me if Yuzu is okay? He doesn't answer his phone. _

Matteo frowned, blinking at the screen before typing the reply slowly. 

_He was a bit shaken on Friday but I think he's OK. _

The three dots appeared almost immediately, then stopped for a second, and then Matteo's phone buzzed angrily with another message. 

_It you see him could you tell him to pick up his phone and stop acting like a child?_

Matteo gaped at that, but before he could react there was another message, different in tone than the previous one. 

_Sorry, that was wrong to ask. I'll get to him, sorry for harassing you at this hour. Have a good week! _

Matteo stared at the messages and for a moment he felt just… sad. It wasn't how two people should be functioning with each other. They should be able to talk, no matter about what, and not act like kids, with him in the middle. 

Matteo shook his head, tired, and made a mental note to get a closer look at Yuzuru and check if something seemed wrong. Just in case. 

* * *

When Matteo got to the rink the next day, Yuzuru was already there, skating around with set expression and throwing around dark glances every few moments. He looked distant and closed off, and Matteo respected that, but Brian seemed to have nothing of it. 

"Yuzu, what happened to your phone? I tried to contact you yesterday about your schedule-" 

"It's off." Yuzuru said shortly "You can call mother next time, please."

"Well I can." Brian agreed, but Matteo saw a glimpse of worry in his eyes "Is everything okay?" 

"Yes. Can we start? I'm warmed up." 

There was so much intensity in him that day that Matteo decided to stay away, and keep everything to himself. He wasn't playing some long distance matchmaker, that for sure. 

But of course he wasn't the only one who noticed Yuzuru's bad mood. 

"It's worse than after bad comp." Jason informed him lowly when they were changing into their regular clothes after Tuesday practice "I'd rather have him complaining about someone than be like that. It's freaking scary."

"Maybe a bit." Matteo admitted and then cleared his throat "Hey, uh… when was the last time he was like that?"

"Hmmm, I'd say that when I came to train here, actually? He was pretty moody, but I knew it was because Javi wasn't here-" Jason stopped talking suddenly, eyes going wide "Oh my god, do you think something happened with Javi?" 

"I don't know, Jason." Matteo sighed "I really don't." 

"Well, who does." Jason chuckled quietly "Probably they don't even know themselves."

"Mhh." Matteo stated eloquently and Jason chuckled again, brighter. 

"Okay, let's not turn into Zhenya and Jun. You want to go grab something to drink? Or even eat, I'm lowkey dying?" 

"Sure." Matteo nodded, smiling widely "I'd love to."

He had really good time with Jason, with a lot of laughing and not mentioning two certain skaters at all. Jason even gave Matteo a few tips about spins, and Matteo couldn't be more grateful. It was so cool, to be able to talk with other skater and learn something, but also had a lot of fun. So when Matteo go back to his place, he was in a great mood and also kind of hungry again. He was just debating if it wasn't too late for cooking, but then, like in some deja vu, his phone rang loudly, interrupting his inner wondering. 

"Hey, Matteo." Javi said, sounding tired "I have to ask you for something."

"Sure." Matteo said quickly, alarmed by the tone of Javi's voice and weird noises in the background "What can I do?" 

"Could I maybe crash at your place? I didn't book anything and God knows I've no energy for that now-" 

"Sure, when?" Matteo said quickly and Javi laughed hysterically. 

"Well depends how long it will take me to get to your place from the airport, but I think no more than-" 

"Wait, wait, you're in Toronto?" Matteo exclaimed, utterly shocked, and Javi chuckled darkly. 

"Yeah."

"I-" Matteo stammered "Well, I will text you the address in a second then."

"Thanks, Matteo." Javi said and then, softer "I'll see you soon." 

The call ended but Matteo kept on staring at his phone for a moment, as if it was some weird, unknown creature. 

What. The. Hell. 

He quickly snapped out of his daze, remembering that he had to send his address to Javi. He did just that and then got up and headed to the kitchen. There would be some cooking, in the end. 

When Matteo opened the door and saw Javi, his first thought was that hid friend was going to collapse any second. 

"You look awful." he blurted out and immediately felt stupid for that. But Javi only smiled, small and tired, and he stepped inside, dropping his suitcase to the floor by the door. 

"It's good to see you too." Javi chuckled when they hugged, leaning a bit heavily against Matteo's shoulders. 

"You know, I think I need some explanation." Matteo sighed when they pulled away "But first you shower, I'll get the food." 

"Look at you." Javi laughed warmly "All mature and responsible."

"Someone has to be, right?" Matteo joked before quickly showing Javi the bathroom, and then got back to the kitchen, making the last dinner preparations and contemplating his life and Javi's presence. He didn't want to be nosy, really, but he thought that he deserved to know what was going on and why Javi was suddenly in Toronto, looking dead on his feet. Matteo had some theories, and none of them was really optimistic.

Javi left the bathroom looking a bit better, if still exhausted. He smiled gratefully when Matteo waved at him from behind the table, where food and tea were waiting. 

"You're an angel." Javi sighed, sitting down and taking a bite of fresh pasta "Also, this tastes exactly like your mom's, holy shit it's good-" 

"When I get back home I'll tell her you still remember her cooking." 

They finished eating in silence, and then they grabbed their cups and moved to the living room, and Matteo had some kind of a deja vu when he was silently looking at Javi, who suddenly was really interested in his own hands. 

"I owe you some explanation." Javi said finally, looking at Matteo and smiling slightly. 

"Some is a good word." Matteo smiled back "Whatever you want to tell me, but I really want to be less confused." 

"Yeah, I understand. Sorry for all of that." Javi chuckled and then sighed, running his hand through his still damp hair, making a bit of a mess out of it. 

"Well, Yuzu wasn't answering his phone." Javi said and Matteo felt like he had misheard. 

"You flew in here because Yuzuru wasn't answering his phone?" he asked slowly and his friend nodded "Uh, Javi, that's- mean that's-" 

"Extreme? Crazy? Weird? Believe me, I know." Javi said, shaking his head "But there is something that has to be done." 

Matteo nodded slowly; he was still lost, but at least he knew that Javi was here to talk with Yuzuru, but that only made the Friday situation even more confusing, and Matteo decide to touch that topic, in the end. 

"You know, when you called him… he was really…" he stammered, hesitating for a second, and Javi smiled bitterly. 

"I know, Matteo. Believe me, I know. I-" he rubbed his face "Damn it. Why is he always like that? And why do I-" he cut himself off, his voice catching in his throat, and Matteo decided that no, he didn't want to know more, and he didn't want to see Javi so tired and upset. 

"I'll go get you a blanket and some pillow." he said, standing up "And Javi… he ends his session at four tomorrow." 

"Thanks, Matteo." Javi nodded, smiling "You're the best." 

"I'll be there too, if… if it goes bad, we can go for a drink." 

Just like he was hoping, Javi laughed at that, short and tired, but honest. 

"I sometimes forget you're all grown up now." he said fondly and Matteo shrugged, smiling. 

"The time flies, huh?" he asked and Javi's expression softened, a shadow of nostalgia in his smile. 

"Oh, it does." 

* * *

When he left the apartment Javi was still deep asleep, snoring quietly from under a blanket. Matteo left him a note and spare keys on a coffee table, and then the whole way to the club he was wondering what was going to happen in the afternoon. 

It took some strength, not to tell anyone that Javi was there, and it was even harder when he saw Yuzuru's gloomy face. And for the first time since coming to Toronto, Matteo had troubles with fully concentrating on his training, his mind coming up with anxious scenarios of what could happen in just a few hours. 

Somehow he managed not to break any of his bones, and he fell only two times, so he considered it a win, and Brian looked pretty pleased too. 

"Really good job today! You can cool off, boys, I need to get to my office for a moment, but don't hesitate to stop by if you have any questions!" 

The only people left on the ice were now Matteo, Jason- who was visibly very eager to get out as soon as possible--and Yuzuru, who was skating around very slowly, deep in thoughts. 

"Uff, I think I'm done guys." Jason smiled sheepishly, getting off the ice and removing his skates quickly "Don't stay too long guys, and Matteo, don't let him try any quads!"

Matteo chuckled at that shortly, but Yuzuru didn't react, as if he didn't hear it at all. He kept on skating around, quiet and looking so utterly lonely that Matteo couldn't help but wonder how probably it was his own choice. 

The little bubble was broken by a cheerful laughter of some kids coming in for a short evening session, and Yuzuru flinched visibly, startled. He sent Matteo a small smile as they moved together to step off the ice and they walked to the locker room in the same silence, that wasn't really awkward anymore. 

"Your quads look nice." Yuzuru said quietly as they were changing on the opposite sides of the locker room "Very… solid."

"Thanks!" Matteo smiled brightly "Thank you so much, that's so great to hear!" 

Yuzuru gave him a smile, small and tight-lipped, and Matteo was going to say something nice in response, when suddenly there was a soft knock to the door a moment later Javi was walking in, shadows under his eyes and smile on his lips. 

"Hi." he said quietly, his eyes skimming over Matteo before going straight to Yuzuru, who was looking like he just saw a ghost. 

There was a moment of silence, heavy and charged, and then Javi spoke again, sounding unexpectedly calm. 

"Sorry for coming in like that, but it's pretty crowded out there and I thought-" 

"What are you doing here?" Yuzuru asked, and Matteo saw how tense he was, his voice tight and so not normal. 

Javi looked at him for a second before smiling briefly, taking a small step forward. 

"We need to talk." 

"We don't have anything to talk about." Yuzuru said flatly and then he winced, turning to look at Matteo "You knew he was here?" he asked, his eyes dark, and for the first time in his life Matteo felt a bit intimidated by him. 

"Leave him out of it, Yuzu." Javi said with a warning in his voice, and Yuzuru laughed hysterically. 

"Yeah, I forgot, he's your friend and not me, I'll just go-" 

"Shut the hell up!" Javi yelled and Matteo flinched so bad he dropped the shirt he had been clutching for the past three minutes. 

"Wha-" Yuzuru started, his cheeks turning a bit pink and eyes blazing, but Javi didn't let him speak, taking one more step forward, so new there was maybe mere half a meter of distance between them. 

"Shut up and listen to me. For once in your life, just fucking listen to me." Javi said quietly, and suddenly his expression turned sad and even more exhausted "Why are you keep on running away from me?" 

Matteo wanted to be anywhere but there, but he was still half dressed in his training gear, barefoot, so his two options were: running away like that or trying to pretend that he wasn't there. 

He chose the second option, absently thinking that maybe he would be useful if they started to fight at some point. 

It didn't look like that, though, because Yuzuru deflated suddenly, gaping, more surprised than angry. 

"Javi." he said, voice quiet and just a bit trembling "You said that you need closure-" 

Javi let out a short laugh, both amused and pained, and he shook his head. 

"You always hear what you think you're going to hear, Yuzu." he said, his fingers jerking as if he wanted to touch Yuzuru "And I've been trying for years, to tell you, but you never fucking listen to me, because you always know best-" 

Yuzuru’s eyes turned foggy at that and Matteo decided to screw everything, he wasn't going to witness that for any moment longer- they deserved privacy, and he deserved not to feel so awfully uncomfortable and intrusive. So he grabbed his stuff and rushed out, hoping that he didn't startle them too much. Once he was outside he stopped, wondering where he could go to finish changing , but then he realized that he couldn't let anyone walk inside. What if Jun was still wandering around? What if anyone walked in and interrupt whatever was going on inside? 

Matteo knew he couldn't let that happen, so he suppressed a sigh and promptly sat down on the floor, ready to guard it like independence. A few people passed him, throwing him weird glances, and Matteo smiled at them brightly while trying to fully understand what was probably happening behind the closed door. 

From what he understood, there had been some serious misunderstanding during the Friday call, probably from Yuzuru's side, something that had made Javi to fly all the way from Spain in a record time. What could that be, though? 

Matteo gasped, thinking intensively about the conversation he had had with Yuzuru. Wait, what if-

"What are you doing?" 

Matteo blinked quickly and looked up, and flinched when he saw Brian standing right in front of him, his expression not really amused. 

"Uhh, I just-" Matteo babbled, standing up clumsily "I was-" 

"What's going on inside?" 

"Nothing!" Matteo almost yelled "Absolutely nothing!" 

Brian looked at him for a moment, his gaze blank, and then he shook his head, reaching for the door knob; all Matteo could do was to move aside a little and swallow a screech that was forming in his throat. 

But suddenly Brian gasped, his eyes growing wide, face turning red in a second, and Matteo couldn't help it, he looked inside too, and his heart did a weird, warm thing inside his chest. 

"Hi, Brian." Javi smiled brightly from where he was sitting on a bench, his eyes shining suspiciously "I'd hug you, but I'm a bit occupied."

Indeed he was, since Yuzuru was sitting in his lap, face hidden in the crook of Javi's neck, his shoulders trembling as Javi was caressing his back soothingly. 

"Yeah, umm, I, well-" Brian stammered and Matteo tugged his sleeve gently, smiling back at Javi. 

"We will see you later, guys." he said, basically forcing Brian to take a step back and letting the door shut again. 

They stood in silence for a moment, before Brian cleared his throat and looked at Matteo; his expression was still shocked, but there were also sparks in his eyes and warmth in his smile as he he spoke. 

"Well, that's… something." he said, shaking his head "Oh God, I need-" he chuckled shortly "I'm going to go."

He smiled at Matteo goodbye and walked away, and Matteo decided that well, he could walk back home in his training clothes, in the end. There was no chance he was going back inside. 

Javi came back to the apartment a bit after 8pm, bright-eyed and happy. He dropped on the free end of the sofa and smiled at Matteo, who put his phone down and smiled back. 

"Well, I can tell that the talk was successful." Matteo teased and Javi blushed a little, but grinned even wider. 

"Well yeah. Very successful." he admitted bashfully, and then sighed, shaking his head a little "For a moment I was really afraid it was done." he said quietly and Matteo tilted his head a little, signaling that he was ready to listen to whatever Javi wanted to tell him. 

Javi took a few moments, eyes turning a bit foggy, smile softening. 

"I didn't want to rush too much, you know. Hell, I just ended up a long relationship, and I needed… I wanted a bit more time, you know? To think everything through, to get some- to get some closure before I would finally gather enough courage to really try. But I should have known better." he chuckled, smiling fondly "Jesus, I have so much work to do with him, that's going to be so much pain." 

Despite his words, Javi looked delighted, ecstatic even, and Matteo decided that he didn't need to know more. It had been complicated and confusing, but the most important thing was that they found their way to each other somehow. 

"I'm happy for you." was all he said "Both of you, really." 

"Thank you, brother, really. You are a true mvp." Javi chuckled and then sighed dreamily, his smile brighter than the sun itself "You know, when you find someone… tell them you love them everyday. So they don't get any stupid ideas." 

Matteo felt his smile growing even more as his heart fluttered, warmth spreading inside his chest. 

"I do." 

* * *

When they walked into the rink the next day they were immediately greeted by loud squealing coming from Jun and Zhenya, who dropped their exercises in a heartbeat to skate closer with a speed of light, laughing and yelling with excitement. Javi hugged them both dutifully before embracing very giddy Jason, and then suddenly everyone stilled, as if waiting in anticipation for Yuzuru's turn. 

And Yuzuru smiled, with a small, secretive smile, and he skated closer slowly, his eyes shining brighter than ever. They didn’t say a word as they embraced, Javi's lips brushing Yuzuru's temple, a quiet moment that made everyone understand that something had changed. 

Matteo smiled and looked away, meeting Jason's cheerful smile.

Drinks are on me the American mouthed and Matteo grinned, showing him thumbs up. 

He had learned some quads, somehow helped Javi and Yuzuru get together, and made some friends. He for sure deserved some beer for that.

"Okay." Brian cleared his throat, clapping shortly "I know, guys, but we're all on a schedule in here, so there would be time for that later. Chop chop, back to work!" 

Jun and Zhenya tried to oppose, but one stern glance sent them back to making circles. Yuzuru pulled away with a small sigh too, squeezing Javi's fingers before skating away as well, looking over his shoulder and smiling widely. 

" Speaking of schedules, Brian." Javi said, turning to his old coach "Will you have ten minutes for me later?" 

"Of course." Brian said, his expression softening, but when he glanced at Matteo, his eyes were all about business "On the ice, Matteo, and I want to see that sal nice and clean."

"Sure." Matteo said, suppressing a groan "On it." 

But honestly, after all of that even damn salchow didn't seem that scary. 

And you know what? It wasn't. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need more Matteo fics, you just wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


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